New Delhi. India’s star opener KL Rahul is ready to return to the team after getting fit. He has been included in the squad for the three-match ODI series for the Zimbabwe tour. Along with this, Rahul has also been made the captain of Team India. Before him, Shikhar Dhawan was made the captain. Now Dhawan will be the vice-captain. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been rested for this series. Bumrah is recovering from a back injury and will also miss the Asia Cup starting August 27 in the United Arab Emirates. Out of the team going to Zimbabwe, only Rahul and Deepak Hooda are included in the main team.
Rahul was recovering from hernia operation. He was to play in the series against West Indies but could not play due to being found positive for Kovid-19. Rahul was taking time to recover from the illness and hence he was not selected in the team for the Zimbabwe tour earlier. He was given time to get fit so that he would be fully fit till the Asia Cup. However, the medical team has now declared Rahul fit after meeting the criteria set for the selection.
Rahul is the first choice for the post of vice-captain along with captain Rohit Sharma in all formats, so Dhawan was appointed vice-captain for this series when he became available. With Rahul joining the team, the total number of team members has gone up to 16 as the selectors did not replace him with any other player. But Rahul’s presence means that Ruturaj Gaikwad will hardly get a chance.
Chakbabwa will lead Zimbabwe
Batsman Regis Chakabwa will lead Zimbabwe’s 17-man squad in the ODI series against India. All three matches will be played at Harare Sports Club. The remaining two matches will be held on August 20 and 22. According to a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket, “Chakabwa will lead the team in the absence of regular captain Craig Irwin. Irvine will not be able to play in this series due to injury.” Zimbabwe will also have to play without Blessing Mujarbani, Tendai Chatara and Wellington Masakadza. These three players are also recovering from injury.
